Hard day’s work: Classrooms with no benches, kids in corridors

Jul 17, 2016 16:51 IST

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The Government Girls / Boys Senior Secondary School in Sonia Vihar is supposed to be temple of education. But students here have to face some questions of health and safety instead of seeking answers of knowledge. (Ravi Choudhary/ HT Photo)

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The gates of the school open to an under construction building, with filth all around and the smell of urine all pervasive. (Ravi Choudhary/ HT Photo)

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Classes are held not only in musty, dirty corridors, but also in small 20 X 20 feet rooms, where more than 150 students are crammed together to study. (Ravi Choudhary/ HT Photo)

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The children are provided with rugs to sit on in the corridors. Is someone even checking on who’s present? (Ravi Choudhary/ HT Photo)

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And some classrooms are just filled with students who do not even belong to the same class. (Ravi Choudhary/ HT Photo)

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Teachers know the problem. They can’t do much to improve the condition. “I make them take turns to sit on the desk and chairs. Half of my time gets wasted on it and then teaching in such classrooms is impossible as there is so much noise,” said a teacher. (Ravi Choudhary/ HT Photo)

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Children do not remember the last time they saw fans working in their classrooms. (Ravi Choudhary/ HT Photo)

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The school has only 32 rooms to fit 5,000 girls in the morning and 3,800 boys in the evening, taught by around 45 regular and 35 guest teachers. (Ravi Choudhary/ HT Photo)

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And then for want of space, the school even started conducting different classes on alternate days. Some children even complain that classes are rarely held. (Ravi Choudhary/ HT Photo)

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The gate of the school reads: “Shiksharth saiye, Sevaarth jaaiye -- Come to learn, serve as you leave”. But under such circumstances, how will the children learn... and how will they serve? (Ravi Choudhary/ HT Photo)